The funny thing though about attention is though there can be a truth deep in the heart, a conditioned head can overrule… pointing us further and further away from where we want to head.  The results?  Awareness… awareness of what we are used to, what is truly in our heart, and which direction the “rubber hits the road” and we follow. .. no matter how crazy it may seem.

Through Awareness

By Catherine Rosasco-Mitchell

2/7/12

After he stabbed his high school teacher with a butcher knife over a low grade, Jason Haffizulla pleaded “temporary insanity.”   The judge ruled him innocent.  It struck me how two years later the Gainsville Sun focused on how Jason “Climbing to the top after Setback” becoming valedictorian. Jason never apologized to the teacher and his obsession for academic excellence wasn’t just from the pressure he put on himself.  When asked what happen Jason said, “My mind just went bananas.”  The mental health of Jason and many struggling children is related to our cultural values.  Today child suicide, depression, violence in schools and obesity cases are higher than ever before and congress is starting to ask why?

Attention is a hot topic in schools because teachers (and schools) are judged according to grades. However congress is re-evaluating the laws of “no child left behind.” Leaders of schools are being introduced to research in brain and behavioral sciences recognizing emotional and social health crucial for peoples’ success (Goleman, 2006).

“Reading and math, reading and math,” vibrates in the hallways of a school atmosphere. As these values hum beneath the minds of teachers stress rises… and so does the need for new doors to open up in what we teach as important.  Essential to getting attention, ishaving attention inside to what is truly valuable.

The design of the nervous (the brain and body) is to learn from both a sound heart and a clear mind.  Conditioning tips for children’s attention to improve academic skills include shortening lessons, keeping routine, and being consistency.  But conditioning children’s minds to solely focus academic skills is like clipping the wings of hawks, simply to reach their eggs. Neuro-anatomists agree, “We are feeling creatures that think, not thinking creatures that feel” (Bolte-Taylor, 2006). As “feeling creatures” we embody emotions and thoughts that tickles the fibers of every muscle. Teaching the whole child opens eyes to how physical sensations literally show who is attending and what makes them soar.

Attention: A Two-way Road of Internal and External Influences

To be fully present, we must “Know Thyself,” as Socrates says. “Knowing thyself,” means not being carried away by external influences or internal urges.  Nor does this knowing lose perceptive in the mists of emotional or physical challenges.  Being fully present is being aware enough to step back from one’s reactions and the biofeedback of physical sensations sensing stress.  Then drop into what can maintain a sense of ease; separate from the demands of external influences.  Perception expands and common sense clears up what is valuable and what needs to be disregarded.

The human body teaches us how to know thyself by mirroring responses through motor patterns. The character of a behavior imprints into physical actions of motor patterns.  Motor patterns, unlike motor skills, form perception and the way we think. Frown and notice your perception. Every conditioned thought imprints into a physical action.  It is the sensations to a reaction that gives tangible feedback to the brain of how we behave. To be aware of this biofeedback from these sensations, and know our selves better, attention must be directed inside.

On way to learn how sensations from physical reactions affect confidence, curiosity, or self-control is to teach awareness from the body to the brain. Learning how our bodies affect our brains is learning from what I call the “body brain.”  The “body brain” is the river of life, a flow that influences outcomes regardless of awareness.  If attention is directed to the quality of a sensation internal perspectives are clarified thus external influences are viewed differently.  Awareness from the character of a sensation clarifies personal perception. For example: sensations trigger when curiosity is inspired, and starts to fade as curiosity fades.  Knowing how to handle self-control, regardless of the circumstance, is easier when one sees both inside and the situation.

Attending to the movement of sensations reveals how the body’s condition relates to attitudes or moods. Sensing the connections of the mental processes, physical sensations, and spirit of inspiration takes practice.  Movement can sense more layers of a psyche’s process than any other vehicle.

Children need to move, more than just exercise to think.  A petite third grader kept moving to a table in the back of the room.  The teacher had to keep reprimanding her for getting out of her seat.  The desk was too tall so she instinctually went to a shorter table. The nature of how children function demands movement whether they are aware of it or not.  Movement grabs attention; senses needs and explains children’s action.  Children may do something unacceptable without realizing it. Teachers or parents discipline without realizing what is going on inside children’s bodies.  If the little girl had self-awareness she could have explained her needs to the teacher.  Instead she was sad and frustrated from being reprimanded thus grades, emotional well-being and health get affected.

Young children need structure, but also need to know themselves. The learning involves a healthy heart and a sound mind.  For the vitality and service our children will bring to the world, let’s help them bring who they are.

(Free lessons on awareness, from the body to the brain, can be found at: www.WellnessThroughMovement.com)

Katie, a 2^nd grader got a glimpse of what her body did to her brain.  The good news is even with only a glimpse the choices she makes in the future can further the unfolding of this powerful insight.

Life holds a mirror up of our history.  The mirror is traced in the shape and function of our muscles and bones.  The journey is first to recognize who is in the mirror.  For Katie, this was foreign territory until One Winged Butterfly lesson. A movement lesson teaching compassion and balance inside and out.

“I can’t do this!” She pouted.  It was the last day of camp.  All week her attention seemed to be shadowed by a fear.  I wasn’t sure of her history, only knowing she was a child of a single mother.

It was true, the lesson was challenging.  A movement most children, or adults for that matter, had never done except maybe in the first year of their life.

Katie’s body looked like she missed that movement.  Sitting on the floor, holding onto her feet, her clam shaped spine showed her hip joints were locked.  She couldn’t sit up.  With a cocked head backwards, looking out the bottom of her eyes she repeated, “I can’t do this!”  And crawled to the corner of the mat.

There are no coincidences. Her attitude and body were locked in the same position. The two, her mind and body, mirrored each other.  Chas on the other hand, an obese 3^rd grader also couldn’t do the movement.  Though his body was stiff, his attitude was full of giggles.

Watching him fly one leg up in the air while holding onto his foot, he tipped to the side landing on his elbow reminding me of a kid on a circus ride.  But reversing the movement to him seemed impossible.  Tumbling and giggling he preserved and then “POP!” To quite a surprise, he came to sitting in

The key to the lesson is to expand awareness between how his body moves with all its parts and how his attitude and body are one.  To bring awareness inside the kids had to have enough patience and compassion for them selves to “muck around.” You know, mucking around is what kids do when they are having fun.  Chas kept playing with his “timber” off to the side and back up to sitting with joy of a playful kitten.

The room was filled with giggles except in Katie’s corner.  She sat there on the floor stilled curled up in a pout as if her whole posture protruded in the belly of her lower lip.  There it is, the filter of perception wired into the muscles of her body and attitude.

“I can’t do this!  I can’t do this!” Katie whined crawling off the matt and under the table.

““I can’t do this!  I can’t do this!” Snarling with her head back.

“Katie, no one can do it at the beginning.  Everyone has to play around with the movement to find their way of doing it,” I replied.  She wasn’t listening.

“I can’t!” she said again with a frown.

Meanwhile Chas, grinning and giggling at his failures, trying again and again…  was now rolling to his side and back up to sitting as if to be a ballerina.

The process is more important then the goal.  Each time tumbling onto his back, he found a graceful balance.  By the end of the lesson he could stay balanced all the way down to his elbow and back up to sitting.

In the One Winged Butterfly lesson the head and the pelvis learn to balance off each other.  This gives a sense of stability and foundation between the up and lower body.

In other words in the movement, the pelvis has to feel the physical weight of the head and vice – a – versa.  The physical sensation of weight and motion in the head and pelvis also changes with a shift in attitude.

This is a movement an infant does when he or she first come to sitting. But in Katie her hip joints were stiff like a rock she tumbled to the side the moment her foot lifted more than four inches off the floor.

I walked over to her. “Katie, have you ever had a new born puppy?”

“Yes,” she replied letting go of her feet.

“Did the puppy ever go potty in your house?” I continued sitting on the mat facing her.

She giggled, “Yes.”

“Did you get as mad at the puppy as you are getting to yourself right now?”  She looked at me with eyes of wonder.  It never occurred to her she was the one being so hard on herself. “Imagine if you were a little puppy learning something new.  If you don’t get it right away would the puppy give up?”

I went on getting a bit to philosophical, “There will be times we want to give up.  If those times happen every day it is up to us to see what we are doing that is are getting in the way of learning.”

This didn’t really make any sense to her.  Though there was a glimpse of curiosity, her body’s motor pattern was still stuck in “I can’t.”  She tried it again.

“See? I can’t. ” She whined.

I guided Katie’s to release her neck and head.  That is where her body held attitude of “helplessness” is locked. Still sitting on the floor holding onto her feet I tilted her head towards a knee.  Her neck tried to lock again as she tried to mumble, “I can’t.”

“Let go of the attitude ‘I can’t.’  It is getting you stuck.  Let go of your head.”

Katie did it.  She was shocked . . . and elated!

“Ok let me try on my own?” she asked.
She tried once and lifted her foot two feet above the ground before she fell over. Though she did better she couldn’t make it back up to sitting without letting go of her feet.  It didn’t matter.  Her attitude shifted, and so did the tension in her muscle patterns.

Class was over and we all met for the closing.

Sitting in a circle, the kids commented they felt taller.  I asked them what changed.  They weren’t sure.  We laid down in Pancake Body to see if we could feel any differences.  Most everyone felt, “the floor got softer.”

We talked about our process and how our bodies affect our minds.  “When we get stuck in the movement, it can be very frustrating,” I mentioned trying not to look at Katie.

I continued, “If we don’t give up we have more time to play around with what we want to learn.” First Katie’s frustration made her want to give up, then her frustration was mad class was over and she didn’t have time to play.

“Remember this next time we are in school and we want to give up.  See if we can play with even homework differently and if it helps we not give up.  This lesson isn’t just about rolling on the floor, it’s also about how we are at home or in school.”

Katie raised her hand. “But I didn’t know how to do it?” she asked in her seven year old mind.

I asked Chas, “Did you know how to do it when we started?”

Chas nodded “No.”

“Pat did you know how to do the movement when we started?”

Pat nodded “No.”

“Wendy did you?” I asked each child in the class.

“Katie, did you know how to do the movement when we started?”

Katie nodded no, but this time had a smile on her face.

Awareness is the greatest teacher of life.  Awareness shows us so clearly how motor patterns are addicted to attitude.  The greater difficulty physical or mental pattern the clearer we can see it in how we move.  The clearer awareness of how we move, the clearer recognition we understand to how we think.  Our bodies form mirrors of our perception fiercely determined to help us recognize what we do that is getting in the way of truly who we are.

Catherine Mitchell is director of the Wellness Through Movement®     and author of two children’s programs integrating the Department of Education’s benchmarks for elementary kids with the Feldenkrais Method®. www.WellnessThroughMovement® or info@wellnessthroughmovement.com

Samantha, a fourth grader, was not following the directions.  Her attention was on something else.  To teach children attention we first have to help children turn attention inside.  To pull Samantha’s attention inside we did the Home Breath lesson (a lesson to center a child’s mind in their heart).  But it was futile.  Each time Samantha was giggling so loud she was disturbing the rest of the class.  Instead of listening   she was trying to put her legs in an “upside down criss-cross applesauce.”  Trying to get her feet on top of her thighs in a cross-legged position.  This had nothing to do with the directions, I thought?

Samantha is notorious for “directing the show.”  Even at home she has complete control of her parents.  Though she is a very smart girl she had a very negative attitude.  She saw herself above everyone else.   To a teacher this can be very annoying and time consuming.

I went up to her and asked her to exhale for ten seconds.   She couldn’t, but what was interesting was she thought she could.

“Oh I can do that!” She snapped.

“Great, lets try,” I said.

Together we took a breath in and exhaled long but within four counts Samantha was out of air.  She didn’t want to try it again and went back to trying to pull one foot over the top of her other leg.

I noticed as she exhaled her ribcage didn’t budge.

I asked her to try it again.  With arms crossed over her puffed out chest she rolled her eyes at me.  Her ribcage looked so locked I wondered if she could feel anything inside?

We tried to do the Home Breath again together but this time I showed her how long she was exhaling by counting the length of her exhalation on my fingers… one, two, three…  On the fourth count again she ran out of breath.

“Oh Samantha did you realize when you ran out of breath?” For a fleeting moment this eight-year-old brain step out of ego and wondered with curiosity. I saw who she really was… but then suddenly she turned towards the wall.

“I’m not going to do this,” she announced and went back to fiddle with her legs.

By this time I should have wondered what the heck was going on with her legs, but I was so focused on the lesson.  “Samantha, let’s try it again.  See if you can exhale for just one more second.  If you can it may help you to feel better.”

To my surprise she turned back towards me and tried again… for a moment then gave up.  She gazed through me staring at other classmates moving on with the next lesson.  We rejoined the group.

But it wasn’t long before Samantha was groaning with pain and yelled, “HELP!”  She had put herself in “upside down criss-cross applesauce” and was stuck.

Though she was disturbing the class I finally got why she putting her legs in this contortion.

With her legs crossed and both feet resting on her thighs her lower back and pelvis were locked.  This gave more emphasis on the tension in her ribcage.  Having her lower body now locked she wanted to exhale (to relieve the discomfort).  The pattern of holding her breath found a way to relieve the tension in her ribcage.  As the discomfort eased she was inspired exhale even longer.

Her spontaneous behavior of “goofing around” was the PERFECT solution. This position got her attention inside and reeducated the tension in her ribcage.

What does the legs have to do with the ribcage?  The suspension of the lower body can be antagonistic to the upper torso.  Try sitting in a cross leg position and twist right and left.  Then sit with knees bent and feet on the floor.  Twist again right and left and feel how the position of the legs changes the movement in the ribcage.   Samantha was changing her ribcage.

This may sound complicated but it is very simple just pay attention to how muscles work together in our own bodies.  Did you just get down on the floor and try the action?

Muscular reactions like duplicating machines copying our minds.  The physical tension in Samantha’s body is also mental.  When a child is not paying attention they can get in trouble.  The results are usually reprimanding the child and scarring his/her character. Attitude and physical posturing are inseparable.

With out changing or reprimanding Samantha’s actions we found a way to reach her attention from the inside. Encouraging her to contort her legs showed us what may have been contributing to her difficulty paying attention.  Buff your chest out, tighten your ribcage and try to pay attention to someone.  After a short period of time it can be nearly impossible. Understanding spontaneous behavior in children helps the caregiver or teacher to find compassion.

“Attention” she needed was towards herself, before she could give attention to her teachers. Getting her attention inside was impossible until she spontaneously showed us how. The  uncomfortable position fueled the desire to bring attention to her breath. The spontaneous behavior showed us where attention must release her ribcage and also her attitude.

To make long-term affects we needed to reeducate the motor patterns of her ribcage into her pelvis.  We did movement lesson Panda Bear Roll rolling from sitting to lying while holding on to our feet.  This is a developmental movement in the first year of life.   It reeducates the integration of movement between the spine, neck, legs and head.   Attention directs the eyes.  The head moves with the eyes to pick to propel the body forward.

Movement with attention slowing pieces together awareness inside.  Tense body parts can feel invisible.  If there are areas in the body we can’t feel, we also have a difficult time directing attention to those parts.

At the end of the lesson we returned to the Home Breath lesson. Samantha could now exhale to the count of eight, four seconds longer than when we begun. Simultaneously her attitude shifted.  A smile came over her face and a soft gaze in her eyes thanked me.

I’m not saying her attitude stayed shifted because if her body goes back to her old way of holding tension, the old attitude can return.  But now she has a choice.  Finding the cause of the symptom requires learning awareness between attitude and physical sensations affecting behavior.

Just as Samantha did not realize when she stopped exhaling, she also wasn’t aware of how her behavior was affecting others.  Being aware of the connection between physical and mental patterns is key. Understanding involuntary behavior shows us how.

Spontaneous actions, even if it is “misbehavior” needs to be taken into consideration before we reprimanding a child. “Goofing around” could be opportunities to handle behavioral challenges from the inside out.   If we can understand how our bodies affect our minds we have more patience to stop and wonder about our children’s actions.

Somewhere in all of us there is a soft kindhearted soul.  For Samantha it was stuck between rock hard ribcage and an eight-year-old ego.

That day three teachers came to me and said,  “ Wow, what did you do with Samantha?  Today was the first time in three years she ever said good-bye to us! ”  Six months later I was told Samantha is a totally different child.  Could there be some connections?  Well, it surely didn’t hurt.

By Catherine Rosasco Mitchell

Some people think it is impossible to teach children to feel and understand what goes on inside them, yet alone put their attention to the feelings inside while simultaneously having attention with others.  Earl proved he could do even more.

“No one will play with me. I asked Simon if he would play with me and he’s not paying attention,” Earl complained as he reached for his lunch box.

“Earl we aren’t having snacks now.  Please go get Simon and come here,” I replied.  Earl continued to fiddle with a baggie of carrots.

“Simon, could you please come here a minute,” I called across the playground.  Simon, a five year old with a sticky blond Mohawk haircut and angel blue eyes came toddling across the field.

“Simon, Earl wants to share something with you but first I want you both to find home.”  Both boys closed their eyes and did the Home Breath lesson.

“When you find Home put your hand where you feel it in your body and see if you can still feel it when you open your eyes?” I asked.  Earl and Simon repeated the Home Breath three or four times. Earl placed his hand on his heart. Simon placed his hand on his upper chest.

“What does it feel like inside when you find Home Earl?”  I asked seeing his attention inward with closed eyes.

“It feels warm,” he replied.

“What about you Simon, what does your Home feel like inside?”

Simon said, “It feels happy”.

“Ok, now we are going to let own Homes talk about what upset us. Keep your hand on your body where you feel Home so you can remember your Home is the one that is going to talk.  Earl, you share first.   What did you feel out on the playground?”

Earl’s eyes opened and the minute he did his attitude shifting to blaming and complaining… “Simon is mean.”

Simon jumped in, letting go of his upper chest and mindlessly pulling at the top of his Mohawk pointing the tips of his hair straight up like a cat ready to brawl.  He shouted, “I just want to play!”

I stopped them both, “Oh wait, look what just happen!  Can either of you still feel Home?”  I looked at Earl.

“No,” Earl innocently replied.

“What does your Home feel like now?” I asked.

Earl flashed big sad eyes and said, “It feels cold.”

I asked Simon, “What does it feel like when you went out of Home? ”

“My Home feels empty,” Simon curiously responded.

Both boys went inside to find Home again.

This time they tried to talk from their hearts.  They were calmer but still upset.  It turned out Simon didn’t mind playing together with Earl, he just didn’t want Earl to keep asking, “Will you play with me? Will you play with me?  Will you play with me?”

Simon repeated more gently,  “I just wanted to play.”

After the boys talked and both understood each other’s position I asked Earl, “What does Home feel now?”

Earl could feel half his heart.  To my surprise he lifted his index finger to his heart region and outlined half his heart.   Sounding a bit indifferent about the whole matter he replied, “This half of my heart feels warm, but this side still feels cold.”

I just wanted to hug him… then I noticed the region of his chest that “felt cold” looked more protruded and tight.   Tension in our chests can amplify reactions.

If we come to listen inside, we may find more compassion for each other and our selves… and some day realize all learning begins in our hearts.

Lesson will include:

• Why we do the Movements
• Science behind the Movements
• Other Areas the Movements Can Help
• Age and Time Lessons will Take

In Your Email:

• Tell us what ages you are working with? (we have lessons f0r 5 years and older)
• What behaviors and/or academic studies you want support?

Here’s our list of Areas we cover for Movement Lessons:

Movements Lessons Helping:

Attention

Focus

Listening

Higher Order Functioning

Cross Lateral Movements (Learning)

Self-direction

Self-awareness

Self-awareness with others

Spatial Awareness of Body

Spatial Awareness of Others

(See Self-Awareness with Others)

Math

Geometry

Spatial Awareness

Symmetry

Memory

Neuromuscular Re-education

Alignment

Alignment Sitting

Balance

Graphomotor skills

Posture

Social Circumstances

Communication Skills

Conflict Resolution

Respect

Safety

Social behavior

Teamwork

Stress Reduction

Calming (Also see Relaxation)

Centering

Recharge

Relaxation

Self Awareness

Self Awareness with Others

Stress reduction

Test taking

ADHD causes are on an individual basis… the foundation of causes in ADHD  I believe most often is missing some developmental movement (see research on psycho-physiology) that helps orchestrate feelings with thinking, thinking with action and action with the immediate environment.

Please recommend to the parents to have the children join the camp break sessions at school where we go through developmental movements to help catch these children up.

Every special needs child I’ve seen are missing some primary movements,… the affects throw coordination off thus their sense of self (as well as the synergy of all senses) off… unable to be totally present with what is happening around them for a very long period of time…

ATTENTION:

Let’s try to create some attention inside first with the Home Breath and Personal Bubbles lesson .  First we have to teach spatial orientation so they physical sense where they are in space… and where is center.  Read the lesson and play a game with “Personal Bubbles” like freeze dance and have the kids go “home” breath if they bump or pop.

Application with Association: Teach the the children to remember the feeling of “home” and notice if they can hear you easier… and longer.  Guarantee… if they lost you, they lost home (inside).

If you try the Home Breath and Personal Bubbles lesson and it just doesn’t work we know the movement portion is needed.  If this is the case the first movement is rolling… not in a log roll but with the body in a crescent shape (ie. feet and hands move to the side far enough for the torso to roll in the opposite direction)  You can get this by rolling on hills … down and up the hill (see lesson), or towards cones in the diagram noted in the lesson)  This spiral movement is core… and foundational for all other movements to be integrated (Redefine movement as also a way of thinking as well…it creates a behavior that stimulates an action).

Saying this… watch how they move, what is off balance, stiff even in their young bodies and not coordinated… attention will be lost as well.  There is references in “background” of the Fish Roll lesson.

Our new website will have more info and you will be notified when it is up.

Aloha,

Catherine

P.S. Bloggers … email us for free lessons

Aloha Rebecca,

Thank you for your interest.  Enclose are three lessons for your special education class to calm anxiety, attention and focus…to begin.

Please remember if children are hyper and have been sitting or not active for more than 30 minutes they may need to get some of this energy out…Hopping in place with “Magic Zippers” (their mouth closed), Running as fast as you can (with magic zippers)… or getting outside are some options.

For:

Calming

Home Breath Lesson on bellies, with knees bend rocking side to side will help calm anxiety.  The rocking motion with long exhalations helps relax indivdual from the inside and outside.

I’m going to send you the combo lesson with Personal Bubbles so you can use the Listening Lesson as well.  Don’t be alarmed… it looks long but the science and notes take  up a big portion.

We did a little of Personal Bubble at the teacher’s presentation.  If any of your children came to the winter or spring break session, they know Personal Bubbles and Home Breath.  We also taught this to children with Hawaii Resources for Learning, partnering with Schools Attune.

Are their shoulders are up near their ears?  If so we need to do more with their bodies and movement.

****************

Listening

Listening Bubbles Lesson is a good beginning.  Listening is much more complex than many understand.  Listening and hearing are two different things related to  our internal dialogue and what is being said in the immediate environment.

This internal dialogue can be related to muscular comfort, sensory over load, emotion or physical imbalance.

*****************************


Focus

Focus is related to many parts of the body, alignment of eyes in the head affecting the neck and comfort in posture.

Can you give me more information about what happens when they lose focus?  What do they do?  How long are they focused?  Are they sitting in chairs or on the floor?

*********************************

How to Do the lessons: Focus on the “Intention box”  (grey box at the top of the lesson)

Golden 4 Keys of How to Deliver the lessons:

1. Go SLOW

2. Breath Naturally

3. Patience (associate concept in movement to other circumstances)

4. Wonder (open your awareness to spontaneous behavior and how to adapt into the lesson)

Email Us for Free Lessons to Meet Your NEEDS: info@wellnessthroughmovement.com

Call if you need to … let me know times you are available to talk.

808- 885-7190

Alohaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Catherine Rosasco Mitchell

P.S. Bloggers… feel free to email us to get free lessons

Send us an email at:: info@wellnessthroughmovement.com.

Half Hearted

Some people think it is impossible to teach children to put their attention to feelings inside while they put their attention outside onto others.  Earl proved he could do even more.

“No one will play with me. I asked Simon if he would play with me and he’s not paying attention,” Earl complained as he reached for his lunch box.

“Earl we aren’t having snacks now.  Please go get Simon and come here,” I replied.  Earl continued to fiddle with a baggie of carrots.

“Simon, could you please come here a minute,” I called across the playground.  Simon, a five year old with a sticky blond Mohawk haircut and angel blue eyes came toddling across the field.

“Simon, Earl wants to share something with you but first I want you both to find home.”  Both boys closed their eyes and did the Home Breath lesson.

“When you find Home put your hand where you feel it in your body and see if you can still feel it when you open your eyes?” I asked.  Earl and Simon repeated the Home Breath three or four times. Earl placed his hand on his heart. Simon placed his hand on his upper chest.

“What does it feel like inside when you find Home Earl?”  I asked seeing his attention inward with closed eyes.

“It feels warm,” he replied.

“What about you Simon, what does your Home feel like inside?”

Simon said, “It feels happy”.

“Ok, now we are going to let own Homes talk about what upset us. Keep your hand on your body where you feel Home so you can remember your Home is the one that is going to talk.  Earl, you share first.   What did you feel out on the playground?”

Earl’s eyes opened and the minute he did his attitude shifting  to blaming and complaining… “Simon is mean.”

Simon jumped in, letting go of his upper chest and mindlessly pulling at the top of his Mohawk pointing the tips of his hair straight up like a cat ready to brawl.  He shouted, “I just want to play!”

I stopped them both, “Oh wait, look what just happen!  Can either of you still feel Home?”  I looked at Earl.

“No,” Earl innocently replied.

“What does your Home feel like now?” I asked.

Earl flashed big sad eyes and said, “It feels cold.”

I asked Simon, “What does it feel like when you went out of Home? ”

“My Home feels empty,” Simon curiously responded.

Both boys went inside to find Home again.

This time they tried to talk from their hearts.  They were calmer but still upset.  It turned out Simon didn’t mind playing together with Earl, he just didn’t want Earl to keep asking, “Will you play with me? Will you play with me?  Will you play with me?”

Simon repeated more gently,  “I just wanted to play.”

After the boys talked and both understood each other’s position I asked Earl, “What does Home feel now?”

To my surprise Earl lifted his index finger to his heart region and outlined half his heart and replied in a half-hearted manner, “This half feels warm, but this side still feels cold.”  I just wanted to hug him… then I noticed the region of his chest that “felt cold” looked more protruded and tight.

End?

Background of Earl at the Camp

Earl missed the movement games to soften the ribcage and improve the posture for sitting.  If our bodies hold tension in a familiar character of behavior, it can feel like a magnet sucking us back into the very action we don’t want to go into.

We reviewed a little of the past movement lessons with the whole class later that morning, to help change Earl’s posture.  However he also had difficulty breathing through is nose.  The tension of ribs and sinuses affect each other.

Later that afternoon I noticed Earl’s way of listening and sharing seemed separate from the content of the discussion.  Earl seemed to be again in his own little world.  I wondered if it had to do with the discomfort of his stuffy sinuses.

Where we left off and how I would proceed if Earl were my son is to practice the feeling of Home with him and in myself.

The Home Breath lesson isn’t a breathing technique to change how we feel inside and than forget.  It is a feeling that needs to be recalled through our day and applied. Just as those who meditate or pray and feel powerful insights but forget to apply to their day.

Finding Home for a second can be really exciting.  When the children do they want to jump back into the game forgetting the feeling. However if they for the state of mind of Home they are missing the whole point of the game. Attention must be balanced inside with the outside.    The mastery we all strive for is to enjoy life but the tricky part is the joy like aloha starts from inside.

The last day the children made a beautiful card thanking us for the program.  As I opened my card Earl pushed through the crowd of smiling faces and pointing to his note on the paper.

It said, “I love you.”